• 16 veins
  • Checked September 2026

Label the Veins of the Head and Neck

The sinuses inside the skull and the veins of the face and neck, from the side.

Label the Veins of the Head and Neck

Name Date

Tap the superficial temporal vein

1 of 11

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Write the name of each numbered vein.Answer key

  1. Superior sagittal sinus
  2. Inferior sagittal sinus
  3. Great cerebral vein
  4. Straight sinus
  5. Transverse sinus
  6. Occipital sinus
  7. Sigmoid sinus
  8. Cavernous sinus
  9. Superficial temporal vein
  10. Maxillary vein
  11. Facial vein
  12. External jugular vein
  13. Internal jugular vein
  14. Vertebral vein
  15. Subclavian vein
  16. Brachiocephalic vein

Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a vein is answered.

Next step Next: the veins of the arm

All 16 veins on the diagram

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Inside the skull 8

  1. Superior sagittal sinus The largest of the sinuses. It takes most of the blood from the upper surface of the cerebrum.
  2. Inferior sagittal sinus It drains into the straight sinus.
  3. Great cerebral vein A deep vein of the cerebrum that leads to the straight sinus. It is also called the vein of Galen.
  4. Straight sinus It takes blood from the great cerebral vein. It leads to a transverse sinus.
  5. Transverse sinus One on each side. It drains the sagittal, straight and occipital sinuses and leads to the sigmoid sinus.
  6. Occipital sinus A small sinus of the occipital region. It leads up to the transverse sinuses.
  7. Sigmoid sinus It takes blood from the transverse sinus. It leads through the jugular foramen into the internal jugular vein.
  8. Cavernous sinus It takes blood from cerebral veins and the eye socket. It leads to the petrosal sinuses.

Face and scalp 3

  1. Superficial temporal vein It drains the temple and joins the maxillary vein behind the jaw. Their blood goes on to the external jugular vein.
  2. Maxillary vein It drains the region of the upper jaw. It joins the superficial temporal vein.
  3. Facial vein It begins beside the root of the nose. It crosses the lower jaw and drains into the internal jugular vein.

Neck 5

  1. External jugular vein It drains the outer parts of the head and the scalp. It empties into the subclavian vein.
  2. Internal jugular vein It carries blood from the brain down the neck. It runs beside the common carotid artery, then joins the subclavian vein.
  3. Vertebral vein It passes down through openings in the sides of the neck vertebrae. It flows into the brachiocephalic vein.
  4. Subclavian vein It takes in the external jugular vein. It joins the internal jugular vein.
  5. Brachiocephalic vein It forms where the internal jugular and subclavian veins join. The two brachiocephalic veins join to form the superior vena cava.

How this list was compiled: Every name and detail checked on 2026-09-30 against OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, section 20.5 Circulatory Pathways, Veins of the Head and Neck and Venous Drainage of the Brain with tables 20.12 and 20.13, https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/20-5-circulatory-pathways, and against Wikipedia, text only: Dural venous sinuses, Great cerebral vein, Internal jugular vein, External jugular vein, Facial vein, Superficial temporal vein, Retromandibular vein, Sigmoid sinus, Vertebral vein and Brachiocephalic vein. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

Two side views, face to the left. The first opens the skull to show the sinuses that drain the brain. The second shows the veins of the face and neck down to the collarbone.

Read the full guide

Follow the blood out of the head

Inside the skull, blood from the brain collects in the sinuses: the superior sagittal sinus along the top, then the inferior sagittal sinus and the great cerebral vein into the straight sinus, then the transverse and sigmoid sinuses, which lead out of the skull into the internal jugular vein. Outside, the superficial temporal and maxillary veins lead to the external jugular vein, and the facial vein to the internal jugular. The three neck veins are drawn spread apart so each can be tapped.

  • The sinuses are channels between the layers of the dura mater, the brain's outer covering. Unlike veins, they have no muscle in their walls.

Questions and answers

What are the main veins of the head and neck?

The internal jugular vein, which drains the brain and takes in the facial vein; the external jugular vein, which drains the scalp and the outer parts of the head; and the vertebral vein, which runs down through the neck bones.

What is the difference between the internal and external jugular veins?

The internal jugular vein starts at the base of the skull, carries the blood from the brain, and joins the subclavian vein to form the brachiocephalic vein. The external jugular vein drains the outer parts of the head and empties into the subclavian vein.

What are the dural venous sinuses?

Channels between the layers of the dura mater that collect blood from the brain. The main ones are the superior and inferior sagittal sinuses, the straight sinus, the transverse and sigmoid sinuses and the cavernous sinus.

Where do the veins of the head and neck drain?

Into the brachiocephalic veins at the root of the neck, by way of the internal jugular, external jugular, subclavian and vertebral veins. The two brachiocephalic veins join to form the superior vena cava.

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